~ Chapter 1 ~
[ Blue Rose Sword ]
Once upon a time, an eternal mass of ice came into being, and came to exist at the peak of a mountain in the northern mountain range that touched the firmaments—there, the ice never thawed, kept in a perpetual state of frost until time itself ceases to be.
By the Goddess Stacia's will, «Life» is breathed into many an object and animal, human and monster. A soul exists within everything that she created, and as such, possesses emotions and memories.
The ice sat atop the mountain, witnessing the passing of countless summers and winters. Alone it remained, until one day, a single seed was carried by the wind and came to land by its side. It was a seed of a flower, and bore within it a quiet calm.
Day by day, the ice would melt and the seed would germinate. Eventually, the seed itself matured into a rose of a blue shade similar to the sky above them. With no one else but them to accompany each other, they spent the rest of their lives talking to each other. Time paved way for the passing of seasons and lives, and the many years saw the blooming of friendship between the two.
On one particular night, as a cold storm brewed about and put to sleep those that had succumbed to the cold, the Blue Rose spoke to the ice.
"Friend, thou hast been by mine side for so long. Thou wouldst heareth my plea, would you not?"
"Of course, Blue Rose. Speaketh of thine wish. For all the years thou hast spent by my side, staving off my boredom and loneliness, thou hast my word that I shall endeavour to fulfil thine wish."
"Thank thee. With but no words wasted, mine wish is to be frozen by thine will, for the bitter cold is simply too much for me to bear. For I am a flower not did bless with resistance. For I am a flower madeth to bloom on bitter cold lands, yet the air is unlike aught I hast ever known. I am but a flower like any other, and I cannot endure this bitter cold any longer."
"Thou wouldst have me freeze thee? For how long?"
"As long as thou remains, frozen and atop this desolation, then allow me to be by thine own side. Forsooth, I can find no other happiness but this."
"…Very well. Come hither. Mayhap, this would hurt, but thou hast mine own word that thou shan't have to suffer any longer. For thou shall be a part of me, as I've did promised."
And so, the eternal mass of ice called upon the blessings of the world and the will of its birthright. Speaking the tongue of what would someday come to be known as the «Sacred Tongue», the block of ice casted frost upon the rose.
Yet the ice that engulfed it took on a will of its own, forming curvatures and edges and corners that formed a unique structure. The Blue Rose would go on to turn into a sword, no longer bothered by the frigid cold and together with its friend for a very, very long time.
~ Excerpt taken from the legend of «The Blue Rose Sword»
In the year of 30 HEC, right around when the Axiom Church was established and put into a position of power, there lived a man called Bercouli. He was regarded by many, both friend and foe, as a man of many talents.
He was highly revered for his skills in combat, for none could truly hold a candle to him when it came to a duel of swords. He had earned his victories in the Empire Swordsmanship Tournament. His opponents and the people who watch him oft call him the 'Trueblade', for his immaculate swordplay and uncontested streak were nothing to scoff at.
He was also known for his distaste towards the Axiom Church's rule, criticizing their bias towards the nobles and ignorance towards the commoners. They had negotiated with him, likely to use his fame to boost their own standings, so he rebelled. He, and several those that believed in his views, journeyed to the far north. Eventually, the little settlement they'd built from the ground up would be known as Rulid, of which he would be its first chieftain.
On a particular day, when it was the hottest in the summer and the heatwaves had been most dire, Bercouli had travelled to the Ruhr river to wash away with his exhaustion and heat. He came to notice formations of ice floating downstream, and that piqued his interest immediately. Bercouli, with a sword in hand, walked opposite of the river's direction of flow and into the cave system to locate the source of the ice.
He entered the cave in the «Mountain Range at the Edge». Beasts of all shapes and sizes stood in his way, yet he cut them down with ease. He was a swordsman who had perfected his art in fighting not just humans, but also monsters—he would never regret having worked to protect their village.
He travelled deeper and deeper into the cave. The cold grew stronger. The air felt colder. Ice crept along the floor and walls of the cave. And then, he reached an opening.
Blue as far as the eye can see. In the middle of the clearing, a massive dragon as white as bone sat atop an unfathomable pile of golden trinkets and valuables, asleep (this, he came to learn, was the protector of the Human Empire's boundary, keeping at bay the residents of the Dark Territory from trespassing). Gold, jewels, silver…
Yet the gleam of a single sword, which stood out like a sore thumb for how distinct it was compared to everything else in the pile, caught his eye. The Blue Rose Sword.
Something called for him to claim the sword. Softly, Bercouli laid his hand upon the sword's handle. Awestruck, he attempted to flee the cave with the sword in his possession—and yet, against his expectation, a single flower of ice blue and thorns suddenly grew out of the sword. Thorny canes stretched out and tripped him, causing the swordsman to fall and awaken the dragon.
There was no further exposition regarding what transpired afterwards. The hero never made mention of the encounter to anyone else, though slip-ups on his part and a few passing notions were pieced together to complete a picture.
Many versions of the story claim that Bercouli, in an act of regret and fear, decided to return the sword to the dragon—for his battle against men and beasts had never truly prepared him for a fight with a dragon. In return, it forgive him for his trespassing, and he departed from the cave, never to return ever again.
~ Excerpt taken from the legend of «Bercouli and the Northern White Dragon»
21st day of the 9th Month – HEC, 372
Rulid Village, in Selka's home
"The Gigas Cedar?"
The sun had long set, casting Rulid into a gentle darkness. Through the window, she could see the light glows across the roads, casting orange gleam that has her seeing some parts of the village. Beyond the village walls, everything else was shrouded in pitch blackness. She had a feeling that everyone were probably asleep by now.
Apparently, that wasn't the case for the Zuberg family—plus their guest, it seems, who was seated right beside her, while her father was directly opposite of them. The sounds of gentle humming from the kitchen was an indication that her mother was also up.
Selka herself felt like she was meant to be asleep right about now, but considering how her mother had invited her and Charlotte for a late night tea-and-snacks, she supposed she could use that as an excuse to stay up for a little bit.
From beside her, Charlotte nodded back at her father's question. She was nursing a cup of hot tea that was made by her mother. Selka would be the first to admit that she wasn't the biggest lover of tea, but the scent of Charlotte's tea in the air was rather comforting, inducing a pleasant state as she waited for her mother to bring some treats over.
"Yes. I'd gotten to know that Eugeo and Kirito are the ones tasked with cutting it down, and I'd been curious about something. I thought about asking you regarding that."
The male Zuberg nodded back, leaning into his seat. "By all means."
"From what I heard, when the Gigas Cedar had sprouted, the people of the village had sought out a tool to cut down the tree, and they'd requested one from the capital. Correct?"
"That is true, yes," he nodded, and Selka opted to listen as well. "Though, from what I recall, we hadn't been the ones to harvest the materials to make the axe. That it was made of dragon bones is curious enough, though what has me more curious is the fact that, somehow, they were able to make such a tool at all. I lack any knowledge in tool smithing, but even then, I can't fathom making a tool out of such high-quality materials."
"And yet, it hasn't been enough."
Rather than take insult at that, Gasupht nodded stiffly. "Aye… It's a shame, and I personally wish that the boys wouldn't have to deal with this sort of burden, but we had no choice. One such obligation of a settlement's chieftain is to delegate a child who has reached ten years a «Sacred Task». And that included choosing individuals to be the tree-cutter."
"And you chose them."
"Do you resent me for that?"
The woman shook her head. "Not at all. You had a duty to accomplish. And it isn't even my place to scorn you for your decisions. I am nothing but a guest living under your roof, and you have duties to your village. You would know what's best."
Before her father could answer, another voice beat him to it. " Thank you, Charlotte. I'm sure my husband appreciates what you said," Sadina approached from the kitchen with a smile and a tray of sweets on her hands. "Sometimes, we have to make hard decisions, and not all of them are always good ones."
"Leaders have much responsibility at times. There is nothing that can be done but see to them."
"You're not wrong there," hummed Gasupht. Selka's mother set the tray on the table, and Charlotte helped herself to one, thanking the woman. She partook in one as well, savouring the rich flavours of the otherwise simple treats her mother made. "Even so, I'm certain the boys aren't happy with the task. Do keep this from them, but… I'm not certain if they'd be able to cut down the Gigas Cedar."
"Not with the Dragon Bone Axe, that is," her words had Selka pausing mid-bite, tilting her head towards the woman. Her parents perked up as well. "Is there any way that you could possibly procure a stronger tool for the two of them to use to fell the tree?"
"That's… Well, I don't think we can do that," frowned the other woman. "I mean, we don't exactly have any metalworkers in our village, and it would likely be too costly to reach out to another town or city to request them to make us another high-quality tool. And even then, what is there that could outmatch the Dragon Bone Axe?"
"An axe made out of dragon bones seems as high quality as you could get, so it would be harder to find something as strong as that…"
They're not wrong. Selka chewed on her sweet, trying to ponder on that. Dragons are already considered one of the strongest beings on the face of the world, so she can't exactly imagine any other materials that could actually outrank their bones…
Perhaps some rare ore? There hasn't exactly been any of that, and to find them would require a lot of effort, too, so that's one thing to take into consideration. And again, they'd need to hire outside help to make them the tool they'd need.
The more she thought about that, the more she felt like the situation was just hopeless. Selka hid her frown by tilting her head down. 'Poor Kirito and Eugeo…'
"I suppose there isn't anything that we can do for those two boys," sighed Gasupht. "If they could truly cut down the Gigas Cedar, then I'd be sure to give them just about anything they'd ask when that day comes, though I wouldn't put too much hope on them."
"Dear, don't say that…"
"It isn't that I doubt their abilities, but with so many generations having failed, I doubt they could somehow change that," he said once more. "But enough of that. I'll be heading out just for a bit to check in with Azalia. She mentioned she wished to speak to me about something. Once I'm done, I'll return. Selka," the girl perked up at her father's voice. "Don't stay up too long. Is that understood?"
Her mother may have invited her for snacks, but her father was nothing if not a strict parent. She found herself squaring up her shoulders and nodding slowly. "O-Okay, father."
"Good. I'll probably see you tomorrow then."
"Us as well. Take care, sir," he nodded back at Charlotte and, bidding the two of them a quick goodnight, left the building.
There was a moment silence immediately after, all three girls simply content to enjoying their night's tea session. Looking beside her, Charlotte especially seemed to enjoy her mother's sweets. That had her smiling; her mother was always good at making these kinds of things.
Eventually, it was her mother who broke the silence. "You seem to care very much for the children, don't you Charlotte-san?" The words prompted a curious hum from the other woman, to which Sadina smiled back. "Especially those two boys."
"Well, I suppose I find myself sympathising with their current predicament a little," Selka agreed with her on that. "I'm simply pondering over any possible ways I could assist them, even if a little. And it would be nice if there was some solution to the matter at hand."
"True that. It would certainly be nice if we could get rid of the Gigas Cedar now. Both for the wheat field expansion, and to ease their burden," she sighed. "It would be a shame if they would have to do this job forever… Those two have such bright futures ahead of them, and to not be able to pursue their dreams simply because of this task seems highly unfair."
"You'll find me agreeing with you on that one, though it was a sacrifice that needed to be made. Don't blame yourselves for handing down that task to them."
"Heh… I guess I've become an open book to you, Charlotte-san?"
"I wouldn't exactly say that. Although…" Her trailing off piqued both of the Zuberg's interests. "At least, in my opinion, I've no doubt that the two boys might actually have something figured out."
"Hmm? What do you mean?"
"There's… something about the two of them. About Kirito and Eugeo that gives me this feeling that, perhaps, what seems like an impossible task might not actually be that way forever," she paused a little. "I can't exactly put it into words. It's more of a feeling that I have than any substantial evidence that I could ever provide."
"Is that so..? Well, some hope and faith goes a long way, and having some in them isn't a bad thing," her mother smiled, eyes glazing towards the window. "And I know that Gasupht, despite what he said, has high hopes for the boys as well—even if he doesn't say it," she giggled afterwards, seemingly amused. "Really now. Men just can't be honest at times."
Selka smiled at that, distracting herself once more with sugar on her tongue. Well, if having been saved by Kirito and Eugeo from the goblins that fateful night had taught her anything, it was that they were capable of doing just about anything.
And she knew that, perhaps, someday… They really might be able to fulfil their calling.
24th day of the 9th Month – HEC, 372
Rulid Village
Three days changes nothing.
That was the thought running through Charlotte's mind as she watched the ravenette swing his axe into the gash of the tree. He released a strong shout in time with his next swing; an indication that he'd poured more energy into that swing. Despite the greater impact, however, it does little to actually cleave into the tree, and all it does is simply tire him out faster from the extra effort he poured in. She sees him panting heavily, forced to drop the axe for a bit to regain his breath.
"Kirito, take it easy…"
"Sorry, sorry. Agh… I need water."
Eugeo promptly tossed a water canteen at his friend, who caught it with one hand and proceeded to down the refreshing liquid.
"Four hundred and twenty strikes left," she said with a hum. "You work incredibly fast. It's only midday, and you've already finished this much… That's impressive."
Kirito didn't answer until he finished his entire canteen, at which point he pulled back and let out a loud gasp of relief before he replied. "Yeah, although it would be a lot nicer if it actually did something, rather than nothing. There are literally no changes."
"That's… Yeah, there's no denying that," Eugeo sighed.
She certainly agreed on that. Staring at the gash, she had to admit that she was a little surprised by how little damage it had sustained from four thousand strikes on a daily basis, and with what should be a fairly strong object as well.
Honestly, she felt that this whole thing was just ridiculous. If anything, this should be a task for officials from the Axiom Church. Not some village kids who were barely stronger than the average monster in the woods.
'Then again, said children had gone toe-to-toe against goblins thrice their size. That's really impressive, if one thinks about it.'
Out of the corner of her vision, she noticed Kirito move in front of the gash once more, patting both hands together before fixing his grip over his axe once more. Foot sweeping back and axe held high, he took a deep breath before he swung once more. Dragon bone struck against tree wood.
"Umm, Charlotte-san," she perked up at Eugeo's voice. "If you don't mind me asking, why did you choose to accompany us today?"
"It was on a mere whim, if you would believe me," and that really had been it. All of a sudden, she'd just thought about seeing them work when she woke up this morning, which lead to this very moment. "I mean, I knew enough of what you do from Gasupht and Sadina, although there were still plenty of things I hadn't known."
"Such as?"
"How early you get up, how long you are out here, how…" She paused, wracking her mind for an appropriate word to use. " Strenuous of a task it is."
"Strenuous seems fitting of a word," Kirito said from where he dealt his next swing.
"Well, we've been doing this for a whole year, so we've fortunately gotten rather used to it," Eugeo offered with a smile. "To be fair, it was really difficult in the beginning, but again, we'd gotten used to it."
"…You know, if you'd like, I can fell the tree in your place," her offer made the blond quirk a brow. "I should be capable of—"
"We appreciate the offer, but no thanks," Kirito's quick refusal surprised her. He continued on. "After that night, I've got a feeling that you'd be capable of doing that. And it's not technically forbidden to help someone else with their calling. But…"
"It's our «Sacred Task», right?"
"Precisely. We can't let you do everything for us, Charlotte. You saved us before, but something like this? It should be us who finishes it."
It was either a matter of pride or sense of duty, but Charlotte accepted his reasoning all the same. "I understand. It's just a shame that the two of you have to be saddled with this task that seems almost impossible to accomplish."
"Actually, if we're really going to cut down the tree, we'd need something stronger than the Dragon Bone Axe," he nodded back at Eugeo's words, still cutting. "I mean, it just can't cut down the Gigas Cedar. We'd need to find some method or tool that could actually do the job right. Otherwise, we'd be stuck doing it forever."
"So we just need a tool far stronger than the Dragon Bone Axe to accomplish that goal, then."
"And I'd asked the chief a few nights about this. The issue is that the Dragon Bone Axe is technically the only tool in the possession of your village that has a «Priority» high enough that could match the Gigas Cedar's, so it's the only thing that could realistically damage the tree bark."
Kirito audibly clicked his tongue at that, seemingly displeased by the news. Eugeo shared his sentiments as well, not hiding his frown as he leaned against the tree bark.
"Honestly, at this point, I'm hoping for a miracle. There's literally no way we could possibly find something that we could use."
"You're not wrong to say that," Eugeo sighed deeply, the exasperation something he shared completely. "Man… What are we going to use to cut down the Gigas Cedar? At this point, we wouldn't be able to—"
A loud gasp caught both her and Eugeo by surprise. The sound of something dropping to the ground followed right after, both of them turning to look at the ravenette. Black eyes stare wide open at the tree's gash, something clicking in his mind as he remembered something. And then, his head snapped towards Eugeo.
"The Blue Rose Sword."
None of them said a single thing, the name being unfamiliar to Charlotte. Although, seeing Eugeo's expression slowly morph into shock, it must mean something.
"The Blue Rose Sword?" The boy's friend asked, earning him a nod. It took him a few moments of blinking before the words fully registered in his mind. "Wait, seriously? That's…"
"It could be possible, right? I mean, it has a high «Priority». Heck, I wouldn't be surprised if its «Priority» is even higher than the Dragon Bone Axe's, which means that it's stronger than the axe. And that means it could actually cut into the tree even better, right?"
"That's…" His friend thought over it, trying to connect the pieces. "Actually possible," the surprise in his voice was palpable. "But, weren't we unable to lift it? Our «Authorities» are too low for us to use it in the first place."
"Ack…" They weren't wrong there. Charlotte understood that someone has to have an «Authority» equal to an object's «Priority» to be able to use it. "B-But still, it's worth trying! Tomorrow, once we're done with our calling, we'll head into the caves. Pack up a scarf, and bring something we can use as a marker. None of us need a repeat of what happened."
"Wait. Seriously? We're really going in there?"
"It's literally the only idea I have. Unless you do, at which point I'd follow your suggestion instead, since you make better ones."
That prompted a smile from his friend. "I appreciate the vote of confidence, but no, I don't have any ideas at the moment," he sighed, but he hadn't said 'no' to his idea. "Alright then… So we'll go tomorrow? Or should we go during the rest days?"
"I doubt Sulinea would even let us go out of the village. We can only go once we're done with our work."
"Ah, true that. Okay, so we'll go tomorrow then," and then, the two of them turned to look at her. "Charlotte, do you… think you could come with us?"
"Where will be going tomorrow?" Her question prompted them to look at each other in silent contemplation, before they turned back towards her.
"The northern caves," Eugeo's answer came as a surprise. "There's a bit of a story to it. But basically, there's a special sword in the cave to the north that Alice, Kirito and I found the last time we visited that place. If luck would have it, the sword is still there."
"Then we will be heading into the caves tomorrow to retrieve that sword."
"Essentially, yes," quickly after, he raised both hands and shook them in nervousness. "B-But if you don't mind, of course! You might be busy, so you don't need to come with us…"
"And we can't have you tell anyone about this," Kirito quickly added, an anxious expression on his face. "Please. If anyone knows, well… I don't think they'd be really happy about that. Not after what happened last time…"
After having been told of the story, she knew just what he was talking about. Their upcoming venture piqued her interest, and she decided to go along. "Very well. If you'd have me, I'll join you two. And rest assured, no one will know about this."
Relief immediately overwrote their previous anticipation, to which Kirito nodded back with a silent 'Thank you'. Both children immediately begin discussing their upcoming plans, and she was left to wonder just what would be happening soon.
25th day of the 9th Month – HEC, 372
The Mountain range at the Edge
So it was that the very next day, waking up earlier than usual and heading out to finish their job as quickly as they could, they travelled to the cave afterwards without informing anyone. Charlotte met them outside of the tunnels, dressed in her normal attire and as calm as ever.
He hadn't given much thought about this initially, but standing before the daunting entrance into the glacial caverns now, it was amazing to think of how he hadn't been afraid of going in there a long time. But now, dread accompanied each step that he took approaching this place.
Memories of months past quickly flash through Eugeo's mind, bringing forth a quick surge of fear. His nerves were jumpy and his legs felt like lead. The ache in his right arm ironically helped distract him from all of that, but looking deep into the darkness, he momentarily wondered if he might just find something far worse.
Eugeo frowned, tugging his sky blue scarf tightly around his neck in a weak attempt to stop himself from shaking. Didn't stop the stutter from slipping into his voice. "A-Alright… You ready to go in?"
"I am," Kirito nodded from where he stood beside him, having brought along the Dragon Bone Axe. He'd been staring into the darkness of the tunnel just like him. "And Charlotte, you alright without a scarf?"
"You needn't worry about me. I am accustomed to all kinds of climates and temperatures."
"Well, if you say so…" Humming back, he looked back to Eugeo. "So, how are we going to retrace our steps?"
"I brought several cattails," he replied, already a few in his good hand. He raised his hand to show them. "I'll be illuminating all of them at once, but as we go in deeper, I'll leave one after a fair bit distance, so we'll know how to go back."
"That could work," hummed Kirito. He didn't say anything for a while, though he eventually spoke up once more. "Alright… Light it up."
The green-eyed boy nodded back, raising the cattails. Focusing on his thoughts, he evoked the spell. "« System Call. Generate 'Luminous' element. Adhere»."
Casting the spell, the cattails glowed up as resources filled them up, brightening up the narrow tunnel that which they walked down. Charlotte took to the helm while Kirito was right beside him every step of the way, lugging the Dragon Bone Axe beside him with a wary look on his face.
Though the light blooming from the cattail helped illuminate the road and the walls of the tunnel, Eugeo couldn't help but think of how much more sinister this place looked. Where before, he'd been relatively nonchalant about this place, now knowing that this very tunnel connects their world to that of human-killing people was…
"Do you think they'd have taken the Blue Rose Sword?" His question prompted a curious hum from his friend and Charlotte. "I mean, they used this route to get into the forest, right? So they must have noticed the sword, so would they not have taken it already?"
"Hmm… Maybe, or they might have completely missed it for how it's camouflaged with the rest of the ice cave," shrugged the boy. "At this rate, all we can do is just hope that they hadn't taken away the sword."
"And considering how the two of you seem to refer to this sword as some sort of unique sword, none of them might have an «Authority» high enough to wield this sword. At least, it could be that way."
"Maybe…"
Though it had been two months since they'd ever stepped foot into this place, Eugeo was rather impressed by the fact that he actually remembered the route to the ice cave. No matter the number of branching paths and whatnot, they still kept true to the original route that they'd taken months before. That didn't stop him from playing safe and leaving behind a trail of glowing cattails—even if they went out, at least they'd be there for them to follow back out of the cave.
The trio kept moving in deeper and deeper, feeling the air grow colder and thinner, ice beginning to creep along the rocky floor and walls. That was… a good sign? He wasn't sure what to feel about reaching their destination.
Even so, deeper and deeper they went in, following the opposite direction of the river's flow. The path became clearer as the markings of ice began to line the edges of the walls and ground. Ice crystals seemed to have sprouted from every surface, forming layers over rock that did not seem to melt. That only added to the cold in the air, prompting Eugeo to adjust his scarf yet again.
Eventually, they reached a point where it got colder than natural. "Just up ahead," Kirito said. "The cave we're heading for is up ahead, surrounded by ice and with a lot of treasure in there."
"Treasure?" Charlotte parroted in curiosity.
"Oh, right. You may not be familiar with the stories," Eugeo hummed. "See, there's a story in our village about the Blue Rose Sword and the dragon in this cave. In fairy tales that we used to read, the village's founder, Bercouli entered these caves and found a dragon sleeping atop a pile of treasure. In that pile was a beautiful blue sword. He tried to steal it but failed. That same sword is in the cave right now. It was said that it was formed from a rose frozen in ice for a really long time."
"Is that so," she hummed back. "That's certainly something that escaped my attention. Fascinating. When we return, I'll be looking forward to reading about that. What should I refer to regarding this story?"
"Fairy tales about Bercouli, the hero of Rulid Village."
"I see. Very well then. Thank you."
Before Eugeo could add one more thing, the faint glimmer of bright blue in the corner of his vision draws his attention away from their companion. Something, likely ice, cracked beneath his boots, and he was caught awestruck by what he saw.
Chunky browns and greys were slowly replaced with crystal blue, glimmering from the light that his cattail gave off. The cold got stronger, and as they finally stepped foot into the space, Eugeo was reminded once more of the silent marvel he'd been in the first time he'd laid eyes on this place.
The cave was covered, from the lowest edge to the very ceiling, in nothing but glimmering ice crystals. Large chunks of ice were erected from the ground, scattered left and right and providing the frosty air that hung over them.
However, it was the gleam of gold in the very centre of the cave that truly caught the eye. Even without there being light, it seemed that the ice themselves seemed to give off some amount of mystical illumination, making the gold stand out and sparkle. The next thing to catch their attention was the massive skeleton that sat atop it; the remains of a dragon, just as they'd seen the first time. There was no sign of it having been recent, considered how weathered the bones seemed to be.
Charlotte, especially, found herself drawn to the bones with a look of disbelief. "Bone marks," Kirito said, pointing at the surface of a foreleg bone. They were very faint, very worn out from time, but still there. "Someone killed the dragon. No idea who, but… well, that isn't a very good sign, is it?"
Wordlessly, he was the next to approach the bones. His gaze then moved towards the axe in his friend's hands. "Do you think the Dragon Bone Axe was made from this dragon?"
"Hmm… I don't think so. There weren't any mentions of our village handing materials to the capital to make the axe. The villagers only requested an axe, and it was the capital that handled the procurement and crafting processes."
"Hmm… I see."
Still, that didn't make this any less of a bothering sight. The faint blade marks on the surface of the dragon bones filled him with a sense of unease. Whoever had killed this dragon must have been incredibly strong.
He wondered if it had been people from the Dark Territory. If that was the case, should he feel glad that whoever it was isn't alive today to invade them? Or worried that it was a sign that something even worse could be on the verge…
"Yeah… Well, there's nothing more that we can actually do now," sighed the other boy, setting aside the axe beside the treasure. He crouched before the sheathed sword. "Sorry, dragon, but we're gonna' need this. Hope you don't… eh?"
Eugeo watched, stupefied, as his friend no taller than a hundred and thirty Cen easily lifted the sword from the ground with hardly no struggle. His expression indicated that he'd expected some amount of resistance, and the ease of which he lifted the sword made him stumble backwards, falling onto his rump with a grunt.
"Auhh..! What the—This was so heavy the last time! Felt like I was trying to lift a cow!" He cried out, flailing the sword around in the air with no difficulty whatsoever. Afterwards, he laid it on the ground with a confused expression. "The heck is going on here?"
"D-Did your «Authority» go up?"
"Wha—But I don't remember doing anything to make it go up so fast… And even then, I shouldn't be able to. It's not like my «Authority» is high as the sword's right?"
Charlotte nodded. "That should be the case. One whose «Object Control Authority» does not match an object's «Priority» should be incapable of wielding it, hence why you faced difficulty in using it compared to the axe. Although, I might have an idea why. Kirito, draw forth a 'Stacia Window'. Let us evaluate your attributes."
The boy looked confused but complied all the same, drawing an 'S' on the back of his palm. This caused a small, translucent rectangular window to pop up. It had a purple shade to it, with several things displayed; to the upper left, something called 'ID' (no one really had an idea for what it is, only that each person has an ID of their own). To the right and from top to down, the «Object Control Authority», «Life» and «System Control Authority» are displayed.
Eugeo stepped beside his friend and peered over his shoulder, both boys assessing his 'Stacia Window' together.
And they were rather surprised by what they saw.
"«System Control Authority» of four," Eugeo said, his friend groaning at that. "And an «Object Control Authority» of fifty? Wha—That's so high."
"Huh?" Even Kirito seemed surprised by that, looking at his 'Stacia Window'. His eyes widened a little at seeing his stats, as if not believing them himself. "It wasn't that high the last time I checked. Weird… Think our tree-cutting job makes our authority grow?"
"That couldn't be it. I mean, we've only been doing it for a year, and it had never changed. Not one bit."
"Then what could possibly explain my «Object Control Authority» being so high?"
"That would be—"
Hesitation. A brief pause right after her first few words, accompanied by a slight aversion of her eyes from his friend's, briefly narrowed as a thought or two popped into her head.
Eugeo couldn't exactly say that he understood people very well. He wasn't exactly a people's person, being fairly introverted and usually sticking to his little circle of friends. Otherwise, he couldn't really say that he'd interacted with people enough to be able to read someone like a book. He might miss social cues and clues from time to time.
Charlotte, however, was generally an expressionless woman. A person who didn't openly display her emotions for all to see. Even during that battle that night, her expression hadn't shifted even once, which made her a woman incredibly good at masking her emotions.
So to see just that change in her expression, no matter how minute it was, rung countless bells in his head.
Even Kirito had noticed it, turning to look at her with curiosity. "Charlotte? What's wrong? Do you know something?"
"…I do," with how much she was trying to force herself not to respond, it made him wonder if she's the kind of person who just doesn't know how to lie. "But… I'm not sure you would appreciate knowing about it."
"Well, when you put it like that, it just makes me want to know more," that seemed a little ironic, although Eugeo found himself agreeing with his best friend—for some reason, the things he says always have some amount of logic in them. "Please, Charlotte? We need to know."
She certainly didn't seem comfortable despite his prodding, though eventually she relented, eyes averted from the two. "There is… a very straightforward method to increase one's «Object Control Authority»," she began with a heavy tone. "To do so… one must simply kill any living creatures without the use of «Sacred Arts»—if you do, you'd raise your «System Control Authority» instead. You will experience a greater boost if you kill residents of the Dark Territory, and vice versa for them."
"Wait, seriously? So the only reason why my authority is so high is because…"
It came to Eugeo slower, but to Kirito, it struck him as hard and fast as an arrow. His expression turned into disgust, discomfort. Kirito looked down on his hands, and were it a mirror that could reflect the look in his eyes, he would see horror. A quiet struggle to accept the consequences of his actions.
A portion of that disbelief wrung down on him too, unsure what to say. His best friend had only become stronger killing Gabura, then..?
That was just so twisted.
"…Shit," his quiet curse did not go unnoticed. "That's seriously a thing? Killing a person from the other race actually boosts your «Authority», Charlotte?"
"It is," she answered, not completely unaffected. "I know not why the world works in this sort of system, but that is simply how things work."
"So… So that's what he meant by those words," he whispered. " And in my death, shall you find greater strength and become a man of your own making…" He raised his head to look at Charlotte. "Did he know?"
"…Yes."
"What… the fuck..?"
Suddenly, the cold in the air was incomparable to the chill that travelled down his spine due to his own discomfort. But Eugeo knew that what he was feeling was only a mere fraction of what his best friend was likely experiencing in this moment.
Distraught, uncertain, he still reached out to grasp his best friend by his shoulder. He gave a gentle squeeze.
"Kirito, don't…" Don't what? Feel guilty over his death? Think about the fact that he'd murdered someone? He was at a loss for words, and he ended up saying the only thing that came to mind at that moment. "I… You're not a criminal."
"I may not be one, but I sure feel like it," the words were heavy, exhausted. " This? This is messed up. What Alice did doesn't compare to what I did. This is something I should be arrested for…"
Eugeo gasped, eyes shooting wide in horror. "D-Don't say that! That's not something you should be asking for!"
"I'm not asking for it! But..! But it's wrong!" He cried out. "Killing… It's wrong. But I'm not in the wrong just because the person I killed isn't a human? I just… It doesn't feel right, you know? I don't feel good about it. And it doesn't change the fact that I murdered someone, Eugeo…"
What was he supposed to say? Eugeo just couldn't disagree with his friend. Though all of the goblins had attempted to kill him and his best friend, it was still a fact that they had been real, living beings—just like them. And now, there were all dead.
Eugeo knew for a fact that he didn't feel as horrible as his best friend. He'd had a hand in wounding one, though he hadn't gone the full extent of actually killing them, just as Kirito had done, whereas Charlotte had done so in protecting him and the girls.
But even then, this sick feeling in his gut… he knew it wasn't faked. It was genuine. And one he shared with his friend.
"And the only way to make up for it," the two turned around, looking up at the woman who'd accompanied them throughout this way. "Is to make sure that their deaths don't go to waste. Make full use of these opportunities presented to you and see to it that you fulfil your objective; to reach Centoria."
"But why?"
"I'll tell you another day," Kirito's words made him turn to look at his friend. He was focused solely on the sheathed sword he was holding, slowly lifting it off the ground. Guilt was clear in his gaze, but he stamped down on it with conviction. "But right now… Charlotte's right. I can use the Blue Rose Sword, which means we might actually be able to cut down the tree for real. This… This can work," he then looked to Charlotte, nodding a little. "Charlotte… Thank you for telling us that."
"…You shouldn't have needed to know."
"I have to. It makes Gabura's death a lot more meaningful," releasing a shaky breath, he then shook his head in an attempt to call himself down. "Now… We should get out of here. Perhaps, if we're able to, we could give this sword a test run against the Gigas Cedar?"
An obvious attempt to distract them from the earlier topic. Eugeo went for it immediately. "Now? Can we even make it back to the tree in time? I'm afraid it'll be evening by the time we reach."
"Pssh, it'll be fine. We're used to long walks. The trip'll be fast and over before you know it."
He recognized that tone. The kind that he uses to convince just about anyone to believe in him. He simply conceded to his best friend. "Fine, fine… Let's go now then," he moved to pick up the Dragon Bone Axe, using his good hand to hold it. "I doubt I want to stay here any longer."
"Heh… Me neither."
Both boys and the woman stared at the dragon bones, nodding wordlessly at it before they turned back, making their way out.
It felt strange to leave the caves without feeling as if something bad was going to happen. The last time they'd entered, things hadn't turned out as good as they'd hoped. So to see the outside once again without that same feeling from months ago…
Well, he just hoped that he could get used to it again.
Going through the village with a sword would have drawn attention to them, and they could certainly go without that hassle. So, the three of them took a longer route and circled around the village, reaching the Gigas Cedar after a bit of a detour. And now, here they are, right near the familiar tree.
'No one else is here,' that thought filled him with some amount of relief. No need for anyone else to see him carrying an unfamiliar sword. Sulinea, especially, would have words with him until the moon came up.
"Have you ever swung a sword, Kirito?" Charlotte's question prompted him to shake his head.
"Nope. I've never even held one before, so this is a first for me in any way you could think," setting the axe to the side, he unsheathed the Blue Rose Sword and nodded. "But I'll swing it just like how I swing the axe. Might as well do something familiar."
Both Eugeo and Charlotte nodded back, putting themselves at a safe distance away from him. As they did so, he fixed the grip of both his hands over the handle of the icy sword, as well as adjusting his stance. Just like how I swing my axe, he thought to himself, remembering how to initiate the trajectory and the amount of strength.
Throwing himself into a practice swing, he lets himself go through the motions. It's familiar and simple, which should have been good enough. And yet…
Charlotte must have noticed it too. "Is something the matter?"
"Oh, uh, it's nothing. But uh," he scratched the back of his head, frowning. "I don't know why, but it felt weird."
"Weird?" Eugeo asked back. "Weird how, exactly?"
"I… I'm not sure how to explain it. Something about it was just off, and I didn't exactly like it," he shrugged back. "I'm not sure. Maybe it's just me, but it's fine. Now that I'm okay with it, let me try it on the tree."
Turning to look once more at the Gigas Cedar, Kirito felt… anticipation. For the first time in ever, in fact. Kirito had been too used cutting at the tree and getting no result, but this time, his mind was filled with actually getting results. It wasn't even a matter of succeeding right off the bat, but actually getting something out of this.
On the way here, they'd compared the «Priorities» of the Dragon Bone Axe and the Blue Rose Sword—it was undeniable that the sword simply outranked the axe by leaps and bounds. And that meant that it should technically be able to do much, much better at damaging the tree way more.
At least, that's how it should theoretically be.
And by the Goddesses, he desperately wants this to work.
'It will work. It has to.'
"Before you do that," his eyes shot towards Charlotte. "Let me conjure a 'Stacia Window' to keep track of the Gigas Cedar's «Life». This would at least give us an idea of how well this will turn out to be."
"We could do that. Go for it."
Once Charlotte conjures a 'Stacia Window', she immediately joins Eugeo at the sidelines. Kirito, in the meantime, moves to his place before the gash in the tree. He takes a deep breath and adjusts his stance. Spreading his feet, he grips the sword with both hands and sweeps it to his side, preparing himself for a swing.
Just do it like always.
He took a quick look to the side, meeting Eugeo's green eyes. Anticipation. Hope. Trust.
They shared a wordless moment with each other in that time, yet they understood each other perfectly still. Kirito nodded back and turned to look at the tree once more. Tightening his core, he took in a deep breath—
And—
"Hroah!" Swung!
Clang!
His shout came just in time for the blade to meet its mark, the sound of metal (though he doubted he could call this a metal sword, considering how it was formed out of ice and a rose frozen within said ice) whistling through the air in the process before it sliced through the tree at an unexpected speed. Kirito gasped from the sheer ease of the motion, though the initial wrongness from earlier accompanies him all the same—
"No way!" His best friend's shout makes him jump. Moreso when Eugeo reached out to grab his shoulder, pulling him over to his side, pointing at the floating thing. "K-Kirito, look at this! The «Life»!"
"What? What is—" His lower jaw promptly dropped. " What the heck?!"
The boy had noticed the initial value of its «Life» from when Charlotte had first conjured the 'Stacia Window'; approximately two hundred and thirty-two thousand out of three hundred and twenty thousand (and that amount of reduction was only the result of centuries. How many more would be needed to completely cut down the whole «Life»?).
The number was going down.
And not in the sense that it was only a minor reduction by one digit. It was steadily trickling down by hundreds of numbers.
"I-It's not stopping…"
"It's actually reducing so much…"
"It only confirms that the Blue Rose Sword is effectively the most suitable tool to use for this job," Charlotte nodded.
Eventually, the number stopped going down. But fifteen thousand of the tree's «Life» had been utterly decimated in that single basic swing. The sheer difference was so palpable, Kirito was filled with utter stupor that he had to take a whole minute to realize that this wasn't just his imagination.
"I-It worked…" It started off as a whisper before the volume of his voice rose into a joyous scream. "It worked!"
"It really did..!" Eugeo was much more muted than him, though there was no denying the sheer joy he was experiencing, if his smile was any indication. "I can't believe it… After all this time, will we actually be able to cut down the Gigas Cedar for real?"
"We most definitely can!"
He was experiencing an overdrive of excitement, feeling his lips tugged in the shape of a smile. For so long, he'd thought that he'd forgotten what it's like to smile. But for things to actually turn out good for once was just… it felt amazing.
Without even realizing, his grip over his sword's handle tightened once more.
'This means we can finally cut down the Gigas Cedar. And then, we can—'
"Hmm… Well, now that the two of you seem to have a means of fulfilling your current «Sacred Task», have the two of you thought about what your next calling will be?"
"Hmm?" Thoughts cut short by her words, her found himself interested in that. Even Eugeo put on a thoughtful look. "Huh. Well, I was thinking that we'd take up something that involved travelling. Something like, I don't know… Merchants. Or apothecaries. Or even sellswords."
"Sellswords?"
"It means mercenaries," he answered his friend before looking at the woman once more. "Isn't that enough?"
"Hmm… I suppose, though it would be too dangerous for you to make the travel now. After all, the two of you are rather young, and though the journey wouldn't be too long and dangerous, would it not make sense that you go after you are older?"
"But we can't just wait forever. We have the chance to leave the village early and head to Centoria," frowning, he sheathed the Blue Rose Sword and set it aside, the material cool against his skin even now. "Even so. Considering how we owe you our lives and all, I'm willing to listen to your suggestion on what we should do, then. You know more than the two of us do, so we're all ears. Is there any reason for why you're concerned?"
"And you needn't hold back on our account," when Eugeo said that, he nodded as well. "We'll listen to you."
"…It's less of an issue of whether you can make the trip or not, but more of the case of who would be interested in you two."
" Who?" Frowning, he crossed his arms. "That's a weird way to put it. Who would be interested in the two of us?"
Sure, cutting down the Gigas Cedar would be considered a pretty impressive feat, what with generations before them having failed at doing it. And now, he and Eugeo might be able to actually finish the mission (or some would say), putting an end to this exhausting cycle.
…Then again, he supposed it is pretty impressive. Since the Gigas Cedar's a damned massive tree unlike anything anyone would have ever seen. Cutting something like this certainly merits some amount of respect.
Though the attention certainly sounds like a hassle.
"The Axiom Church."
"…Hmm?" Blinking, as if the words escaped him at that last moment, he turned to look at the woman once more. Even Eugeo looked confused. "Who would be?"
"The Axiom Church," she repeated, rubbing her arms. "The moment you succeed in fulfilling this calling, there's a very good chance that the Axiom Church might become interested in the two of you; the very first and only people capable of cutting down the Gigas Cedar."
Staring at her for a whole minute in silence, Kirito eventually turned his head to stare at Eugeo. Black eyes met green, wordless communication exchanged between the two thanks to the long time of friendship they'd shared.
Eventually, he looked back at the Gigas Cedar. The cut at the tree now included a thin horizontal streak, cut cleanly into the trunk of the tree from him having slashed at it with the Blue Rose Sword. It was such a clean cut that he had a hard time believing that he'd done that.
And then, he looked back at Charlotte. Her expression, though fixed in that calm and composed manner it always is, seemed to possess a faint trace of anxiety.
Finally, he looked up to the sky, let out a deep sigh, and said the only thing he could think of.
"Shit."
Author's Notes:
Kirito's height when he was a child in the prologue of the Alicization story was never officially stated in the wiki, nor mentioned by anyone as far as I know.
So, I just did some basic-as-heck comparison using the image of him as a child and as a teenager (172cm post-Aincrad arc, based on the web novel) standing side-by-side from the wiki, and child Kirito stands at around 128cm. This isn't accurate, but it's more or less, I suppose. Another measurement of mine is 132cm. So, might as well take the median and call him 130cm.
Eugeo and Kirito are more or less the same height, both as teenagers and children, so we'll assume that they're both 130cm. Alice's height was not mentioned in the wiki, but I'll assume the same height for her, albeit shorter by two centimetres (128cm, 170cm).
Also, apologies for missing two Saturdays' worth of updates. I'll see if I can update this upcoming Saturday and Sunday. Assignments, presentation, and replaying Pokémon Sword from scratch. You know, the typical stuff.